Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
-Conclusion. The fact of God's having already begun to show mercy to the Jewish captives in Babylon (Psalms 106:44-46) is the ground on which the prayer is resumed from Psalms 106:4-5, in Psalms 106:47. That Psalms 106:44-46 refer to the captivity, and not to earlier times, is clear, because the Psalmist would otherwise be merely repeating the first clause of Psalms 106:43; whereas it is after he has said they were finally "brought low for their iniquity." Also Psalms 106:46 distinctly speaks of their being "carried captives," which can only refer to the Babylonian captivity (Psalms 137:3). The reference also is plain to Leviticus 26:32-39 and 1 Kings 8:46, which prophetically allude to that captivity.
Verse 44. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction - literally, 'He regarded (i:e., He was not regardless) in their affliction' (Exodus 2:25; Exodus 4:31).
Verse 45. And he remembered for them his covenant - according to His promise (Leviticus 26:41-42).
And repented according to the multitude of his mercies - as was promised in Deuteronomy 32:36 (cf. Isaiah 63:7). The Hebrew text reads singular, 'mercy' (cf. Psalms 106:7); to agree with which the Masoretes altered 'mercy' here into "mercies." It is the fullness of God's mercy, not the manifold manifestations of it, which are here meant (Numbers 14:19).
Verse 46. He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives - according to Solomon's prayer, 1 Kings 8:50. This improved feeling toward the Jews through God's influence appears in Daniel 1:9; as Joseph similarly had his captivity improved by God's favour (Genesis 39:21). So Evil-merodach, king of Babylon, treated kindly Jehoiachin, king of Judah (2 Kings 25:27).
Verse 47 Save us O Lord our God and gather us from among the heathen God's mercy having begun Verse 47. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen. God's mercy having begun the deliverance of the people in spite of their sins, encourages the re-renewal of prayer for its completion. The prayer rests on the promise, Deuteronomy 30:3, which is here alluded to verbally. The prayer was answered in the return of the great body of the people in the first year of Cyrus-an event which evidently had not yet taken place when this psalm was written, for no reference here occurs to a return, as there does in Psalms 107:3. That psalm gives thanks for it, as this 106th Psalm promised God in the event of the prayer being granted.
To give thanks unto thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise - (1 Chronicles 16:35-36). God's praise is the praise which He procures for Himself by His glorious deeds in behalf of His people (Psalms 48:10; Psalms 105:3.
Verse 48. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ... and let all the people say, Amen. Hengstenberg translates, as in 1 Chronicles 16:36, "And all the people say, Amen." The people strike in, affirming the thanksgiving. This verse in his view is part of the psalm, not a mere doxology appended to the fourth book of Psalms; because it is not likely the response of the people would form the close of a book. Also, this conclusion of praise corresponds to the praise-beginning of the psalm (Psalms 106:1). It also accords with the conclusion of Psalms 104:1-35. Also this doxology differs from those at the end of Book I, Psalms 42:1-11; Book II, Psalms 72:1-20; Book III, Psalms 89:1-52; as "hallelujah" is there wanting, and the "Amen" is doubled. And the hallelujah at the close here corresponds to that at the beginning. This doxology, thus, which was a part of the psalm, was made also by the compiler to answer the second purpose of closing the 4th Book. Moreover, it closes the collection, Psalms 101:1-8; Psalms 102:1-28; Psalms 103:1-22; Psalms 104:1-35; Psalms 105:1-45; Psalms 106:1-48, comprising David's trilogy, Psalms 101:1-8; Psalms 102:1-28; Psalms 103:1-22, and the trilogy of the captivity, Psalms 104:1-35; Psalms 105:1-45; Psalms 106:1-48.